Archives for September 2017

Bath & North East Somerset Council, in partnership with Avon & Somerset Police, is launching a campaign aimed at improving the safety of cyclists.

A highly visible display on a bus is to be used to raise awareness of the space motorists need to give cyclists when overtaking. It serves as a reminder that our roads are as much for cyclists as they are for cars, vans and lorries.

Over the last five years there’s been a significant reduction in the number of people injured in road traffic collisions across Bath and North East Somerset. However, the number of cyclist casualties has remained relatively consistent over this period.

This campaign supports a recent initiative by Avon and Somerset Police, ‘Operation Close Pass’, which has seen plain clothes police officers on bicycles identifying drivers that pass dangerously close, who have then been stopped by colleagues in uniform and offered roadside advice on how to pass cyclists safely.

Councillor Mark Shelford (Conservative, Lyncombe) Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “As a cyclist I all too often witness drivers not giving cyclists the time or space necessary to complete their journeys in a safe manner.

Drivers should give cyclists at least the same amount of space as vehicles when overtaking, which is 1.5 metres or approximately a car door width. We want to encourage people to use sustainable forms of transport, such as cycling, but cycling on our roads needs to be safe and all road users need to work together to achieve this.”

Chief Inspector Kevan Rowlands, Head of Road Safety at Avon and Somerset Police said: “Since the beginning of 2017 we’ve received more than 350 reports of near misses, which suggests that people aren’t aware of how much space they should leave when overtaking, or perhaps choose to ignore this advice. Anyone failing to leave enough space puts cyclists at risk and could be prosecuted for driving without due care and attention.”

Have your say on Bath and North East Somerset’s new Sugar Smart Campaign.

Take the short “Sugar Smart” survey and be in with the chance of winning some fantastic prizes
including family tickets to Bath City Football Club, free gym membership with Better Leisure, a
free Riverford organic veg box and many more.

Please visit www.bathnes.gov.uk/sugarsmartsurvey and tell us what you think Bath and North East
Somerset should do to become Sugar Smart.

Following in the footsteps of Brighton and Hove and Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset Council
have teamed up with Sustainable Food Cities, the Jamie Oliver Food Foundation and local
organisations to help people recognize how much hidden sugar is in their food and drink and to
support organizations to provide healthier choices.

Too much sugar can lead to weight gain, dental health problems, obesity and diabetes. The
recommended maximum daily intake of added sugar is 7.5 teaspoons for adults and 3 – 6 teaspoons for
children. However both adults and children are having up to three times this amount.

Sugar Smart B&NES is calling on a range of organisations to make Sugar Smart pledges to help make
the “healthy choice, the easy choice”. Organisations that have already pledged to join the
initiative include Bath City Football Club, local leisure centres, schools, universities and early
year settings and the Royal United Hospital. Radstock and Westfield Big Local are also supporting
the campaign and will coordinate a Sugar Smart grant scheme in Autumn 2017 to fund sugar smart
activities within the communities of Westfield and Radstock.

To join the campaign visit www.sugarsmartuk.org and add your actions directly onto the website.
Find out more about the campaign on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/sugarsmartbanes